My tire tube repairs never work. What am I doing wrong?
02-26-16, 02:38 PM
#76
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Oh, OK. But I think the general consensus (though not unanimous) is to ditch the glueless patches altogether, whether you're carrying a spare tube or not. I understand that there are a few people who have had success with them, but most of the riders I know and who have posted here would never use them again.
Truthfully, this is a silly conversation at this point. A patch kit with 2-3 patches and a small tube of glue costs less than a Whopper and is so tiny, you'll probably lose it in your saddle bag before you'll ever need to use it. If you think the Park patch kit is too big, perhaps you might want to take everything out of it and leave the individual items loose in your bag.
Truthfully, this is a silly conversation at this point. A patch kit with 2-3 patches and a small tube of glue costs less than a Whopper and is so tiny, you'll probably lose it in your saddle bag before you'll ever need to use it. If you think the Park patch kit is too big, perhaps you might want to take everything out of it and leave the individual items loose in your bag.
I was one of the ones who swore I would never use glueless patches again. But I was forced to use them again last Friday when I had a flat on the way to work, and stupidly left everything at home to repair a tire. I had to go buy a pump at Walmart during lunch break, and a pack of glueless patches as it was all they had, and there's no LBS in town. I was actually surprised that the glueless patch held, and it's still holding today.
So that's why I've decided to just throw a tiny pack of glueless patches into the saddle bag, as a backup for the backup (spare tube). I'll probably never use them in all likelihood, but just in case, they're in there.
02-26-16, 08:39 PM
#77
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Y'know what? I think I'm outta here. Despite having patched (literally) hundreds of tubes when I was running my bike recycling group in the late 90's, I personally get maybe one flat every couple of years, so I have no business running my mouth off.
My feeling is that the OP is going to laugh at himself later for spending so much time worrying about this, as he might not get another flat for a very long time. But who am I to say?
Anyway, best of luck!
My feeling is that the OP is going to laugh at himself later for spending so much time worrying about this, as he might not get another flat for a very long time. But who am I to say?
Anyway, best of luck!
02-26-16, 08:56 PM
#78
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Make sure the tube is inflated to about the size it will be inside the tire before applying a glue patch. Follow directions as to drying time and apply a wide enough area of glue to more than accommodate the patch so the edges don't come up. Forget the stickers except for temporary repairs in bad weather.
02-27-16, 03:01 AM
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There is no such thing as vulcanizing fluid; it is rubber cement. Vulcanizing is the process that latex is heated with sulfur to turned into rubber. 1) Neither heat nor sulfur are involved in patching 2) Nothing is latex at the beginning of this process; everything is already rubber.
02-27-16, 10:00 AM
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There is no such thing as vulcanizing fluid; it is rubber cement. Vulcanizing is the process that latex is heated with sulfur to turned into rubber. 1) Neither heat nor sulfur are involved in patching 2) Nothing is latex at the beginning of this process; everything is already rubber.
Google image search begs to differ.
02-27-16, 02:28 PM
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You do realize that there is no vulcanizing occurring right? There is no exothermic or endothermic reaction going on. Everything is already rubber. At best this is fraudulent misrepresentation to convince people the price premium is worth it.
02-27-16, 02:31 PM
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Actually you're wrong. Cold vulcanization is a completely legitimate process that treats unvulcanized rubber with a sulfur liquid/vapor. Look it up. I was honestly making a joke before, but if you want to push the point...
02-27-16, 03:03 PM
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Next time you're patching, leave an edge of the patch unglued. Then use that edge to rip it off after it has "cured". It will come off clean, leaving no trace of any chemical bonding on the tube.
02-29-16, 08:14 AM
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I inflate the tube to close to final diameter before slapping on the patch. When it's adhered, I remove the plastic, make sure everything is stuck down well, then talc up the tube. I keep talc on my tubes anyway, I've had bare tubes practically glue themselves to the inside of a tire before without talc.
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02-29-16, 08:16 AM
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I buy the big can of cement. The reason is that it's really not that much more expensive than a couple of tiny little tubes, and the tiny tubes dry out so fast that you might as well throw them away once you puncture them. The can I've had for 2 years now and it's still perfectly useable. The can seals much better than a tube cap and the fluid lasts.
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02-29-16, 10:12 AM
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I buy the big can of cement. The reason is that it's really not that much more expensive than a couple of tiny little tubes, and the tiny tubes dry out so fast that you might as well throw them away once you puncture them. The can I've had for 2 years now and it's still perfectly useable. The can seals much better than a tube cap and the fluid lasts.
02-29-16, 11:37 AM
#87
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Actually you're wrong. Throw in some science words that don't match reality... Look it up. See I can play this game too.
Next time you're patching, leave an edge of the patch unglued. Then use that edge to rip it off after it has "cured". It will come off clean, leaving no trace of any chemical bonding on the tube.
Next time you're patching, leave an edge of the patch unglued. Then use that edge to rip it off after it has "cured". It will come off clean, leaving no trace of any chemical bonding on the tube.
Further, if you look at the MSDS of "rubber cement", the only ingredients listed are natural rubber and a solvent...usually hexane.
As for the permanence, if the vulcanizing fluid is allowed to dry (i.e. the job isn't rushed), the patch will not come off cleanly. If the patch is allowed to remain in place for a number of days, weeks or months, the patch and/or the tube will tear and not come off cleanly at all.
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02-29-16, 10:53 PM
#88
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Chemistry arguments!! 
02-29-16, 11:53 PM
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All I know I have better success patching lower pressure tubes (used for 30-60psi tires) on the road. In my experience high pressure tubes don't work at all with glueless patch kit.
02-29-16, 11:55 PM
#90
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That may be the case. The glueless patch I installed Friday before last appears to be holding with about 70 psi in a 26x1.5 tire.
03-13-16, 04:50 AM
#91
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The problems I have are
1) Not finding the cause of the flat which, if a piece of metal/glass imbedded in the tyre, punctures the replacement tube.
2) Pinching the tube, causing a pinch flat, with my levers, when putting the tire back on (especially out on the road, in the dark).
The cause of the latter is, apart from my ineptitude, due to my preference for Panaracer S2 tyres that have otheriwse good cost performance (light, durable, cheap @15USD) but are a bit too small as it were, and so a ***** to put on. There is no way you can roll them on with your hands. The last bit needs to be done with a lever.
The good news is that Bridgestone Extensa "ultralight" inner tubes (.6mm 67gr) go some way to prevent my ineptitude being a problem.
They were only a $1 or so more thant the other tubes that I usually purchase, about 10grams lighter and .2mm thinner. It was an impulse buy. I don't think that the 10grams or the thickness make all that much difference.
The thing I like about them is that these inner tubes are completely tape-like. They come rolled up like rim tape and have no tendency to expand to a tube shape when unrolled. This means that I can push them up inside the tyre and feel myself to be far less likely to pinch them as I put the tire back on. Recommended.
1) Not finding the cause of the flat which, if a piece of metal/glass imbedded in the tyre, punctures the replacement tube.
2) Pinching the tube, causing a pinch flat, with my levers, when putting the tire back on (especially out on the road, in the dark).
The cause of the latter is, apart from my ineptitude, due to my preference for Panaracer S2 tyres that have otheriwse good cost performance (light, durable, cheap @15USD) but are a bit too small as it were, and so a ***** to put on. There is no way you can roll them on with your hands. The last bit needs to be done with a lever.
The good news is that Bridgestone Extensa "ultralight" inner tubes (.6mm 67gr) go some way to prevent my ineptitude being a problem.
They were only a $1 or so more thant the other tubes that I usually purchase, about 10grams lighter and .2mm thinner. It was an impulse buy. I don't think that the 10grams or the thickness make all that much difference.
The thing I like about them is that these inner tubes are completely tape-like. They come rolled up like rim tape and have no tendency to expand to a tube shape when unrolled. This means that I can push them up inside the tyre and feel myself to be far less likely to pinch them as I put the tire back on. Recommended.
03-13-16, 03:07 PM
#92
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One more tip that is second nature to many but not mentioned here: Always put the tire logo over the valve stem when you remount the tire. That way if you find an object in the tire you'll know where to find the leak in the tube, and if you find a leak in the tube you'll know where to look for debris inside the tire.
